WEBVTT MIKE: WELCOME BACK TO "UPFRONT." THE TWO TOP CANDIDATES IN THE REPUBLICAN U.S. SENATE PRIMARY HAVE BOTH PROMISED TO BE STRONG SUPPORTERS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP IF ELECTE BUT THE PRO-TRUMP WEBSITE "BREITBART" HAS GONE AFTER CANDIDATE LEAH VUKMIR AS BEING INSUFFICIENTLY LOYAL TO TRUMP. "BREITBART" HAS HIGHLIGHTED VUKMIR STAFFERS WHO WE CRITICAL OF TRUNK, AND LASTLY, DUG UP A 2016 VIDEO OF VUKMIR IMPLYING THAT REPUBLICANS WOULD HAVE TO HOLD THEIR NOSES TO VOTE FOR TRUMP. COULD THIS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A POTENTIALLY CLOSE RACE BETWEEN VUKMIR AND KEVIN NICHOLSON? WE ARE ASKING BILL GLAUBER WHO HAS BEEN COVERING THE RACE FOR "THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL." BILL, GOOD TO HAVE YOU. BILL: GREAT TO BE HERE. MIKE I WANT TO BEGIN BY TALKING ABOUT THE NATURE OF THIS RACE. IT HAS BEEN SORT OF CONTINGENT FROM THE GET GO. BILL: IT HAS BEEN. THERE WAS A FROSTING IS BETWEEN THE TWO CANDIDATES FROM THE BEGINNING. YOU KNO, YOU CANNOT SAY THEY REALLY LIKE EACH OTHER. THEY PROBABLY WOULD DENY THAT. THERE IS DEFINITE FROSTING IS. MIKE: WE MENTIONED THIS VIDEO OF LEAH VUKMIR SAYING VOTERS MAY HAVE TO HOLD THEIR NOSE AT THEY VOTED FOR TRUMP. IS THIS A THING IN THIS RACE, OR DOES IT REALLY MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE? BILL: IT COULD BE A THING IN THE RACE DEPENDING ON HOW IT GOES IN THE FINAL CLOSING SPRINT. TRUMP IS VERY POPULAR AMONG REPUBLICANS, I BELIEVE 90% SUPPORT, BUT LEAH VUKMIR WAS WHERE AT OFFICE ERE AT IN MARCH OF 2016. TED CRUZ CAME HERE AND ONE FOR THE WISCONSIN PRIMARY. TALK RADIO IN MILWAUKEE WAS A NEVER-TRUMP FACTION, SO THAT IS WHERE LEAH VUKMIR WAS THERE -- WAS THEN. NOW, THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY WOULD PUSH BACK ON ON DONALD TRUMP. MIKE: AND LOOK MAYOR WOULD ARGUE -- AND LEAH VUKMIR WOULD ARGUE THAT SHE WAS FOR THE WOMEN FOR TRUMP DURING THE GENERAL ELECTION IN 2016. AND THAT KEVIN NICHOLSON WAS NOT INITIALLY A FAN OF DONALD TRUMP EITHER. THAT WAS NOT HIS FIRST CHOICE. BILL: THEY BOTH HAD DIFFERENT FIRST CHOICES. FOR LEAH VUKMIR, IT WAS SCOTT WALKER AND THEN WHEN HE DROPPED OUT, IT WAS MARCO RUBIO. I BELIEVE SHE VOTED FOR TED CRUZ. AND FOR KEVIN NICHOLSON, IT WAS MARCO RUBIO, AND THEN DONALD TRUMP. MIKE: YOU MENTIONED THAT NEITHER ONE OF THEM IN A TELEVISED DEBATE WERE WILLING TO CRITICIZE THE PRESIDENT IN ANY WAY. BILL: IT IS AN EXTRAORDINARY THING. YOU CAN SAY, WHAT ABOUT THE TWEETING? BUT THEY CHOSE NOT TO GO THERE. MIKE: IF YOU ARE THE REPUBLICAN WINNER OF THAT PRIMARY, CAN YOU AFFORD TO DO THAT IN THE FALL WHEN YOU WILL NEED INDEPENDENT VOTES TO WIN THAT ELECTION? BILL: THAT IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION, AND I DON’T HAVE THE ANSWER BECAUSE YOU CANNOT GO AGAINST THE TRUNK BASE EITHER HERE IN WISCONSIN OR ELSEWHERE. IT IS THAT POWERFUL. SO THE WINNER WILL BE WALKING A FINE LINE IN THE GENERAL ELECTION. MIKE: BACK TO THE TONE OF THE RACE. A REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, SOMEONE INVOLVED WITH WINNING CAMPAIGNS IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, SAID HE IS CONCERNED THAT THIS PRIMARY COULD END UP RESEMBLING WHAT HAPPENED IN 2012 FOR THE REPUBLICANS WERE THERE WAS A HOT PRIMARY. TOMMY THOMPSON CAME OUT THE WINNER, BUT SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT HE WAS DAMAGED IN THAT RACE AND THEN LOST THE TAMMY BALDWIN. THEY ARE WERE THE SAME THING COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. IS THAT A REAL CONCERN? BILL: TOMMY CAME OUT OF THAT PRIMARY BROKEN AND THEY GOT FIREBOMBED WHEN HE WAS OFF THE AIR -- ON THE AIR FOR THREE WEEKS. THE TWO CAMPAIGNS SAID THEY HAVE RESERVE MONEY FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION, BUT IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE INTERIM WHEN AUGUST 15 ROLLS AROUND, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE WINNING CANDIDATE? WHAT SORT OF BARRAGE DO THEY TAKE ON THE AIR? MIKE: HOW TO REPUBLICANS FEEL ABOUT THEIR CHANCES THIS FALL? YOU HAVE SEEN THE PUNDITS AND SOME PEOPLE THINK TAMMY BALDWIN LOOKS PRETTY GOOD RIGHT NOW. WHAT A REPUBLICAN SAYING? BILL: THEY THINK THAT BALDWIN IS VERY DIFFICULT TO BEAT. THEY BELIEVE SHE CAN BE DEFEATED IN THERE WAS A WAY TO DO IT, BUT THEY DO KNOW IT IS AN UPHILL BATTLE AGAINST AN INCUMBENT SENATOR IN AN OFF YEAR ELECTION LIKE THIS. ANYBODY WHO WOULD SAY OTHERWISE WOULD NOT BE TELLING THE TRUTH. MIKE: BILL GLAUBER IS COVERING THE U.S. SENATE RACE FOR THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. GOOD TO HAVE YOU ON THE PROGRAM. OUR EDITORIAL PARNTER, WISPOLITICS.COM, HAS GUIDES FOR THE RACES FOR U.S. SENATE AND GOVERNOR, CONTAINING CANDIDATE POSITIONS, BIOGRAPHIES, AND FEC FILINGS. YOU’LL FIND THEM ON THE ELECTION BLOG AT WISPOLITICS.COM. COMING UP NEXT, A FACT OF LIFE IN MODERN CAMPAIGNS, AND THE CANDIDATE WHO DID SOMETHING OT